


From Almost to Always

by DayenuRose



Category: X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types, X-Treme X-Men
Genre: Countdown, Cuddling, F/M, Fights, Injury, Kissing, Marriage, Proposals, almost proposals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:00:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22203721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayenuRose/pseuds/DayenuRose
Summary: In a relationship full of ups and downs, Rouge and Remy have always found their way back to each other. How many times along the way did they almost take the next step in their relationship?
Relationships: Remy LeBeau/Rogue
Comments: 7
Kudos: 42





	From Almost to Always

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lettersfromnowhere](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lettersfromnowhere/gifts).



> Lettersfromnowhere and I were chatting and she mentioned that there aren't enough proposal fics out there. Which, inspired me to write this fic with multiple 'almost' proposals concerning our mutual OTP. 
> 
> Speaking of which, since Rogue and Remy recently had a canon engagement in the comics, I skipped over that one and had fun playing with other possibilities.

5 - Gambit - _In Over His Head ___

____

Gambit had been too busy keeping the encroaching ground forces at bay with a series of charged playing cards to notice what appeared to be a minivan sized boulder hurtling towards him. Once he became aware of the situation, it was already too late to do anything about it. The closer it came, the larger it grew. Its shadow loomed over him with impending doom. Anywhere he could dodge in the time remaining would still be within the impact zone. 

____

Quick as a crack of lightning, he dipped his fingers into the pocket of his duster only to come out empty. A flicker of panic raced through his veins as he realized he’d already thrown his last card. All that remained was the box the cards came in. Crumpling the box into a tight ball, he charged it and hoped the projectile would be enough to break the boulder into pieces small enough that he wouldn’t be immediately smooshed into the pavement. 

____

Before the glowing, fuchsia ball of energy could leave his hand, Rogue swept in from above and hovered between him and the incoming projectile. With scarcely a show of effort, she redirected the boulder so it crashed harmlessly to an open patch of land nearby. The ground cratered, throwing up dust and dirt in its wake. He strangled back a yowl as the half-forgotten playing card box singed his fingers. 

____

The plight of his fingers was quickly forgotten as he watched Rogue soar. She maneuvered about the sky with grace and ease. 

____

“Marry me,” Gambit murmured under his breath. The words were out before he could stop himself. 

____

Rogue’s flight path had brought her back into his proximity as he finished speaking. He paled, half wishing he could take back the words, but it was too late. They were out in the world for all and sundry to hear. He had always known he was more than a little taken with her, but with that utterance, he realized he was certainly in over his head. _Had she heard him? What would she think of him? Had he pushed his luck too far?_

____

“What did ya say, swamp rat?” Rogue landed beside him, brushing dirt from her gloved hands. 

____

Gambit breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t heard. “I said, t’ank you chère, dat’s all.” 

____

“Well,” Rogue shrugged, “Ah wasn’ about to let ya be smooshed flatter than a pancake. It was the least Ah could do.” 

____

“Den , I better t’ank you properly.” Gambit offered her his best rakish, debonair grin. “Let me take you out t’ dinner.” 

____

Her cheeks grew warm at the offer. “Ah’d have done the same thing for anyone on the team,” she protested.

____

“Anyone else offer t’ take you out?” He pressed, wondering how far he could take this. How far he dared. 

____

“Fine,” Rogue turned, making it impossible for him to read her expression. Still, he couldn’t help but grin. Her arms hung loose at her sides and there was a bounce in her step. If she’d been offended by his request or unreceptive, she would have shut him out with a defensive shift of her posture—arms drawn tight across her chest, her spine rigid, her muscles pulled tight. 

____

Still, she hadn’t answered his question. “Fine what?”

____

With a toss of her wild red curls, she glanced over her shoulder and offered him a half timid, half sensuous grin. “Fine. Ah’ll go to dinner with ya.” 

____

“Wear somet’in’ nice, chère.” 

____

Gambit’s gaze shifted to the horizon. The ground forces were beginning to regroup in preparation for another salvo instead of retreating. Well then, he would need to make them change their minds. After all, he had a date to look forward to. 

____

Scooping up a handful of pebbles, Gambit carefully tested each for weight and size. He charged the first of the stones and flung it among the oncoming rush of opposing forces. It exploded with an effusion of fuchsia light and energy. The troops scrambled to regain their footing. 

____

“Good one, Cajun.” Rogue took flight. “Watch my back.” 

____

“Always,” Gambit called as he tossed another charged pebble. The resulting explosion scared the enemy troops before they could recover from the last attack.

____

While they scattered in chaos, Gambit’s mind turned back to the words he’d spoken to himself. Since leaving New Orleans, he’d been telling himself that he would never settle down. That it wasn’t in the cards for him. But, those accidentally spoken worlds left his heart beating in a rapid tattoo He found that we wasn’t as opposed to the idea of settling down—of marrying again—as long as the one he was pledging himself to was Rogue. He couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever feel the same way. 

____

____

4 - Rogue - _No Fairytale Endings_

____

After Carol, it wasn’t often that Rogue was the one in need of medical attention. But, when she was, it was always serious. It also explained, why when she opened her eyes, she didn’t immediately recognize where she was. Her head throbbed with an intensity that nearly took her breath away as she moved her head to take in her surroundings. Slowly the room coalesced into the X-men’s infirmary. Between the pain ricocheting through her skull and her blurry vision, she must have taken an injury to her head. 

____

It took a moment for her bleary eyed gaze to focus on the room’s other occupant. A tenuous smile played at her lips at the sight of Remy LeBeau sleeping in the chair beside her bed. His head lolled against the side of the chair. The fringe of his shaggy red hair fell in his face, casting shadows over the stark lines and planes of his face and obscuring his concern furrowed brow—the only thing which marred his otherwise peaceful face. His ubiquitous brown duster was spread over him like a blanket. From under it, he had stretched out his arm and rested his hand along the edge of the bed. The black of his gloves stood out in sharp contrast to the white of the infirmary sheets. 

____

“Remy.” Her dry lips formed his name, but her parched throat was unable to form the word. 

____

Despite the silence of her call, Remy stirred in his sleep, the coat slipping from his shoulders and pooling on his lap. 

____

Rogue slipped her hand out from under the sheet and flexed her fingers. The joints were stiff and tight, while her fingertips buzzed with the possibility of unrestrained touch. Tentatively, she reached out with her bare hand and touched Remy’s gloved one. It wasn’t much of a touch, a mere whisper of fingertips across his knuckles. She was pretty certain she wouldn’t have even dared that much if everything around her didn’t possess a bit of a hazy, surreal quality. As her skin brushed against the creamy, well-worn leather of his gloves, her heart quickened. He was truly here and not simply a hope fueled figment of her aching head. 

____

Sequestering her bare hand back to the safety of sheets, she couldn’t suppress the giddy thrill that had run straight to her heart with her daring. Only in the silence of the infirmary could she admit to herself how much she wanted him. She loved him and wanted to know him in every way possible. To be his and for him to be hers. If it weren’t for her curse...

____

Rogue held her breath to stifle back the swell of emotion that threatened to make itself known in the form of a sob. In her heart of hearts, she dreamed that the fairytale might someday be possible. And in those dreams, Remy played a prominent role. Her prince, her lover, the man who made her feel. Feel so much it scared her.

____

It wasn’t possible. She’d never be able to touch. That was her curse and her life obviously wasn’t a fairytale. She knew this for certain because a kiss could not break this curse. It would only curse him as well and send him into an enchanted sleep from which he might never wake. _Like Cody._

____

“Remy,” she whispered in a voice scratchy and cracked with disuse. She licked her lips and cleared her throat with a small cough. Using the sheet as cover, she returned her hand to his and gave it a small squeeze. Mustering the courage to ask the question she would never dare venture if her head hadn’t been so muddled, if he hadn’t been asleep. “If the curse was broken, would you marry me?”

____

With the uttering of the question, a flurry of images scrolled across her mind’s eye. Her fondest fantasies played out—marrying Remy, settling down with him, and raising a houseful of red-headed children. Closing her eyes, she forced all those dreams and desires back into the deepest, most suppressed depths of her subconscious and locked them away. She couldn’t afford to indulge in these fantasies, the pain of unfulfillable dreams was too much. 

____

Before she could close her eyes and fall back under the protective defenses of sleep, Rogue could almost swear she saw Remy stir, his fingers closing around her, and his lips forming a silent, _oui_. 

____

____

3 - Remy - _It Wasn’t Paris in the Springtime_

____

Remy cursed under his breath as he sorted through the rubble of what had once been the X-Mansion. It wasn’t the first time it had been blown to smithereens and it was unlikely to be the last. Even sorting through the wrack and ruin in search of any salvageable possessions was far from an unusual occurrence. Most of the time, there wasn’t anything in his room that he couldn’t live without. And, if there was anything important enough that he didn’t want to lose, his luck usually held long enough for him to reclaim it. The rest was easily replaceable, so he rarely worried. But this time, well, this time he had left something very important in his room. 

____

Kneeling in what appeared to be the remains of his nightstand, Remy sifted through the lingering miscellanea of his life among the X-Men with a desperation he rarely demonstrated. The charred remains of the book he had been reading laid half buried in the rubble of splintered wood and shattered glass. Freeing the book from the debris, the cover tore and a stray gust of wind tugged the loose pages, scattering them to the four corners of the earth. A half dozen packs of playing cards laid scattered and mixed in a massive game of 312 card pick-up. Dust and grime coated his second best set of lock picks, which were otherwise unharmed. He slipped them into an interior pocket of his duster. The assorted ephemera he regularly emptied from his pockets was mixed among the ruins. Despite his search, he could not find the one thing that was more important than the rest combined. A ring box and all the promises it held within.

____

Remy groaned, raking his fingers through his hair, mingling ashy grey among the red. A few weeks ago, he had finally found the perfect ring. He’d left it in his nightstand for safekeeping while he planned the perfect evening. If—no, _when_ —he found it, he’d be certain to leave it in one of the deep pockets of his duster. That would surely be safer. 

____

“Whatchya doin’ Cajun? Need any help?” Rogue sauntered through the rubble in his general direction. 

____

Shading his eyes with his hand, he watched as she approached. A stuffed, toy rabbit dangled from her hand. One of the floppy ears was torn and hung on by only a few tenuous stitches. Though the pale green fur was mattered and covered with mottled streaks of dust and dirt, he recognized it instantly as a stuffie he’d brought back for her from one of his recent trips. 

____

Despite her sure steps, the ground beneath their feet was anything but stable. As she reached his side, she lost her footing and stumbled towards him. Instinctually Remy reached out and caught her by her gloved hands. Not letting go, Rogue steadied herself. 

____

It only took a moment for her to realize that they were still touching. Her pulse quicken and a rosy flush pinked her cheeks. She glanced around the wreckage of their home, as though wondering if anyone else had caught her stumble. Swallowing hard, she bit back her first attempt at a reply and brought her thoughts back under her control. She gave his hand a squeeze. “Ya gonna let go, swamp rat, or are ya plannin’ on proposing?”

____

Remy blinked. His thoughts whirred a million miles an hour. She’d said it as a joke, but, what if...? The ring was gone. Lost in the wreckage. And, this was no where close to the romantic setting he had envisioned when he dreamed of asking her to be his wife. He had wanted to give her her fairytale. This wasn’t Paris in the springtime, but what was? Maybe.... _Maybe_.... he’d never find the perfect moment and he should just grab the moment at hand. 

____

Gazing up into her green eyes, he hesitated. What if she said no? He would never know if he didn’t ask. But, could he live with the answer?

____

“What if I was, chère?” He asked, responding in the same light tone that she had used. A insouciant grin on his face. 

____

Rogue broke his gaze and stared down at the ruins of what had once been their home. The moment stretched beyond a comfortable pause into something the verged on awkward. When she looked up at him again, there was a muddle of emotions running through her eyes that ran from desire to confusion to anger. 

____

“Then Ah’d say ya have some mighty poor timin’, sugah.” The teasing had been replaced by a thread of defensive anger and hurt. She wrapped the arm not being held by Remy across her middle, crushing the stuffed rabbit to her chest. Everything that that had been open and relaxed about her a moment ago was now closed off and defensive. 

____

Her words were the dagger to his heart that he had feared. He was a fool to think she would want to marry him. Biting back the first dozen rash replies he would later regret, Remy tightened his grasp on her hand and got to his feet. 

____

“O’ course not,” Remy lied with more confidence than he felt. He brushed at the ruined knees of his jeans to give himself a moment to regain his expected ne’er-do-well persona. 

____

“Remy....” A plaintive longing echoed on the wind as she said his name, leaving the rest of her thoughts unspoken. 

____

“Non. ‘M sorry chère, you’re right, dat wasn’ appropriate.” He was glad he hadn’t actually asked her. She clearly wasn’t ready. Broaching the distance between them, he brushed a strand of flyaway white hair behind her ear. His gloved fingers grazed her cheek, leaving a streak of dirt on her skin.

____

Rogue let go of his hand and cupped her cheek. The anger drained from her posture. For a moment he swore he saw something akin to disappointment cross her face, but, it had been too brief for him to be certain. Instead, she forced a smile and rubbed at her cheek, smearing the dirt. “Leavin’ your mark on me, swamp rat?”

____

“Always,” he grinned, all cheek and charm. Kicking at the debris that had once been his room, he gave the ring up as a loss. Remy gestured out at the stuffed rabbit. “You find anyt’in’ else o’ yours? Need any help shiftin’ through de wreckage?”

____

She shrugged. “Just the usual clothes and such. We’re piling everythin’ we find in the west lawn. Now it’s mostly lookin’ for anythin’ salvageable before the scavengers appear.” 

____

Remy nodded. He’d been through this drill before. It’s why he’d been looking for the ring. Though maybe it was better this way. It would keep him from doing anything stupid. He’d been a hapless fool to think he had any right to ask her to marry him. He was too broken—broken as the Mansion around them—to deserve her. 

____

____

2 - Anna - _Waking From Unfulfilled Dreams_

____

Curled up on the couch beside Remy, Anna rested her head against his shoulder as they half watched a movie. His arm was wrapped around her back and he idly traced sideways figure eights on the skin of her bare arm with the tips of his bare fingers. Reveling in the simple pleasure of bare skin against bare skin, she pressed closer to the man she loved, as though by doing so she could make up for lost time. 

____

Remy chuckled, filling the night with his rich, deep timbre. Changing the pattern in which he caressed her skin, he never broke contact during the process. “You’re insatiable chère.” 

____

“Mmhmm.” Anna hummed happily in agreement. She entwined the fingers of her free hand with his, never wanting this to end. Though, she feared their time like this was limited. In the grand scheme of things, they hadn’t been powerless for very long and all too soon, she feared, their powers would find a way to return. What would happen on the day when they needed to choose between what was best for the team and what was best for them? 

____

They didn’t talk about it, yet she knew Remy missed his mutant ability. On the other had, a part of her—a larger part than she was willing to publicly admit—hoped the day her powers returned would be a long way off. The others didn’t understand. Every time she expressed the desire for her mutant abilities to be gone, the others looked at her askance with aghast expressions. Like her desire to touch without distress to herself and others somehow made her less proud of being a mutant. That wasn’t true.

____

She was proud of who she was and what she and the X-Men had accomplished over the years, but she had been touch starved for so long. Most people—even those who knew her best—flinched at her nearness and gave her a wide berth when she passed, but Remy never did. He had been the only one to consistently and persistently push through her barriers and risk the cost of her touch. People were meant to be touched and she had been so afraid for too many years. The fear was gone now. She was so close to having her heart's desire. 

____

Absently, Remy touched the fading scar on his chest. As she did every time he found his scar, she found herself echoing the gesturing and tracing the matching scar the marred her chest. She wondered if he knew that the reverse was also true, whenever she unconsciously found herself tracing her scar, he copied the motion. The sword had pinned them together, mingling their blood—their fates—just as on that same day, by her touch, she had already shared in his power. He had finally forgiven her for keeping his soul pinned to this mortal coil. Anna knew she might be selfish, but she wasn’t ready to live without him. 

____

Which brought her back full circle, back around to the thoughts which had started this all. She loved Remy, loved him with all her heart, and wanted him with the same earnest desire. The house in New Orleans had been a peace offering, an unspoken request that they settle down together and take full advantage of this gift. But, he hadn’t seen their loss of powers as quite the same gift she had. He hadn’t been ready to settle down with her. Too many reminders, she supposed, of the future he had once abandoned, of the dreams about settling down he adamantly denied. So, instead, they had travelled across the country until they reached Valle Soleada. Life here—even as they continued in the fight for the Mutant cause—was like a dream come true. In the quiet moments like these she hoped that one day he might feel the same as her. That they would take advantage of the dream before it was too late. 

____

“What are you t’inkin’ about ma chère?” Remy murmured into her hair.

____

Anna hesitated. Could they forget the past, forget the fear, forget everything but the possibility of their dreams come true? Did she dare make the suggestion? _Remy, let’s get married. Let’s make this last_.

____

After all, what could go wrong?

____

_...What could go right?_

______ _ _

In the end, the moment slipped through her fingers. She couldn’t lose this. Lose him. Even a partial fairytale was better than no fairytale at all. 

______ _ _

Tilting her head back, Anna studied her lover's face. His red on black eyes glowed with a fervent, internal fire. The smoldering gleam reminded her of the spark of passion he had for life and love. It scared her whenever she saw that light dim. She shuddered at the memories of those times. But, for now, the fire still burned bright. 

______ _ _

“Us,” she whispered in the fervent desire that he would interpret what she meant. That the word could encompass all she felt for him, all she hoped for them. 

______ _ _

Remy wrapped her tighter in his arms. His breath was warm on her skin. “Good thoughts?” 

______ _ _

“The best.” 

______ _ _

Anna nodded and cupped his cheek with her hand. Without fear, her fingers followed the stark angles of his jaw and lingered among the reds and auburns mixed in his stubble. The sharp scruff pricked her fingers as she directed his face to hers. She kissed him long and hard. He returned the kiss, driven by the same hunger and need. 

______ _ _

Entangled in each other’s embrace, they remained that way until the first light of dawn crested the horizon. With the the burgeoning of a new day, the time for dreams—for fairytales—came to a close, still unfulfilled.

______ _ _

~~~

______ _ _

1 - Rogue and Remy - _Marry Me, Forever and Always_

______ _ _

The house was quiet, still in a way that it never was during the day. Work was done, the children were in bed, and Remy had dried the last of the dishes. Content in the moment of domestic tranquility, Remy leaned against the counter and peered out into the star-filled night sky. He could think of nothing to wish for, except for Rogue by his side. 

______ _ _

As if summoned by the thought, Rogue entered the kitchen. Her bare feet padded softly along the floor. Coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his back. 

______ _ _

“Marry me, sugah,” she said, her words half muffled. 

______ _ _

“Chère, we’re already married.” Remy wrapped his hand around her left hand and ran a thumb over the wedding band which matched his own. 

______ _ _

“Ah know.” She held him tighter. “Guess Ah was just thinkin’ about how many opportunities we missed.” 

______ _ _

Remy turned to face his wife. He pressed his cheek along the crown of her head and breathed in her heady, sweet scent. In a low, husky voice, he murmured, “We weren’t ready.”

______ _ _

She was right, there had been so many ‘almosts’ over the years before they became an ‘always.’ There had been too many times they had both thought they would only ever be ‘almost.’

______ _ _

“That’s no longer the case.” Rising to her toes, Rogue peppered a series of kisses down his jaw until she ended at his lips. Her hands caught in his hair, her fingers entangled among the red strands. His heart raced as her voluptuous curves pressed against him. He caught at her full lips with his and kissed her senseless. 

______ _ _

Rogue pulled away and looked up at him with half lidded eyes. With a sensuous curl on her lips, she repeated her request. “ _Marry me_.” 

______ _ _

“Oui. Forever and always, mon coeur.” Scooping up his beautiful, strong, vivacious wife he carried her to their bedroom. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her head along the crook of his neck and shoulder. 

______ _ _

As he reverently laid her on their bed and curled up beside her, the bedside clock ticked from the old day to the new. A knowing smile played on his lips. Remy leaned in and kissed his wife, a preamble for the more soon to come. 

______ _ _

Rogue grinned back at him, all cheek and charm. “Happy anniversary, Remy. Ah love ya.”

______ _ _


End file.
